Mininette Quintet
by Miraculous-Content
Summary: (Ladybug Luka) (Cat Marinette) Partners from the very start, Coccaerus and Vantacat were an undeniably effective team. Put bluntly, they adored each other. Then, as an akuma manages to use their power on Vantacat, Coccaerus' hand is forced and the two (or six, in this case) have to deal with all their feelings for each other, civilian and hero, combining into one beautiful mess.
1. In a Bind(er)

Coccaerus and Vantacat stood warily against the akuma-of-the-week, weapons at the ready. This time, it was Dividend, a person who apparently had far too much going on in their life.

"It's not easy being torn between task after task!" Dividend yelled. Their akumatized object-a binder-opened and magically shuffled through page after page. Dividend slid their fingers along the pages, then crunched one into their hand. The page disintegrated into pieces, turning into sparks of lightning that spread along Dividend's arm. They thrust their arm forward, taking aim at both Coccaerus and Vantacat. "Now I'll teach you how it feels!"

The lightning shot out in sporadic waves, but Coccaerus and Vantacat separated, going in different directions to avoid the lightning. The energy continued straight until it hit a wall, causing it to dissipate pathetically into the air.

Dividend huffed, busying themself by moving to crunch another page in their hands.

Seeing his opportunity to act while they were preoccupied, Coccaerus stopped in place and threw his yoyo skyward. "Lucky Charm!"

The yoyo shimmered brilliantly, giving off its usual light. The light rose up, taking shape and then dropping down into Coccaerus' hands.

An open backpack. Just... _an open backpack._

Coccaerus glanced at Vantacat, who gave him a similar look to his own.

"It's... stylish?" she offered with a smile. "At least it matches, Cae."

He snorted, smiling back at her as he slipped the backpack's strap onto one shoulder. It was a particularly strange Lucky Charm, but he'd make it work.

_They'd_ make it work.

Dividend didn't seem at all afraid by the summoned object, their arm charged with energy once again. They shot forward, once again missing the both of them as they dodged.

Coccaerus took out his yoyo, letting it spin in preparation to shield himself. Vantacat, meanwhile, steeled herself up and rose her hand into the air.

"Cataclysm!"

Her hand charged with black energy, the color in particular spreading to her suit, her face, and even her hair. Her eyes, however, turned to a vibrant blue color, giving off wisps of light as she dashed along the street to face her foe.

Coccaerus was positive that he'd never get used to how cool she looked when she did that.

Dividend jumped back, shutting their binder and immediately going on the defensive. Vantacat's Cataclysm hand jerked forward, aiming for the binder but missing it as Dividend pulled it against their chest.

Coccaerus followed after her, yoyo spinning with an intent to lash out. Dividend wiggled out of Vantacat's grasp of their jacket, then leaped up and onto a streetlight, clearly realizing that they couldn't take on both heroes at once.

They aimed at Coccaerus, now having a closer distance to shoot with, but their fire was blocked by Coccaerus' yoyo shield.

He threw his yoyo outwards, but Dividend ducked out of the way, simultaneously going for another piece of paper to grab.

While Dividend was distracted by avoiding the yoyo and getting more energy to shoot with, Vantacat ran close and jumped up to join them on the streetlight. Dividend glanced up, barely having any time to react and Vantacat fought against them to touch the binder with her Cataclysm.

Coccaerus looked around, desperate to help, but nothing was sticking out to him. His Lucky Charm apparently didn't have a use here, and there was _certainly_ no room on the streetlight to join Vantacat in the fight.

Meanwhile, Dividend's hand shot out to fire at Vantacat. She stepped back with the little space that she could, instinctively pulling out her baton with her non-Cataclysm hand.

Unlike Coccaerus' yoyo, however, her baton was made of _metal._ Though she spun it expertly, the lightning hit the baton and spread to her. She cried out, flinching and staggering back before falling off the streetlight.

It was a small fall for a superhero, but Coccaerus nonetheless rushed forward. "_Vanta!_"

He held his arms out, Vantacat landing safely in them. She looked up at him with now-bleary blue eyes, opening her mouth to speak before being cut off by a white crack forming along her ribcage.

Coccaerus, gaping, immediately set Vantacat down on the ground and stepped back, afraid of hurting her.

The crack spread outwards into five lines, one going straight down, two going horizontally along her torso, and the other two going up and outwards along her shoulders.

Vantacat let out a strangled noise, like she was being squeezed. Her body glowed white, everything within a meter of her becoming indistinguishable.

As the light faded, Coccaerus looked on as Vantacat was now split into five tiny versions of herself, each of which could fit in his hand.

They all pushed themselves up simultaneously, though only with their free hand as their other was still charged with Cataclysm, albeit a weaker-looking Cataclysm now. They looked disoriented at first, staring up at Coccaerus before immediately noticing the size problem. The moment after, they looked at each other and realized the second issue.

Dividend cackled from their place on the streetlight. "Doesn't feel good, does it?" they asked. Reaching back into their binder, they grasped another piece of paper. "You're _next,_ beetleboy."

Coccaerus glared, but kept his cool. Dividend was playing with fire now, but he wasn't going to let himself be taunted.

They would certainly pay for doing this to his partner though.

He looked back down, ready to instruct his partner to head for safety, but all five Vantacat had already come to a stand and were heading for the streetlight.

It took Coccaerus a split second to realize what they were doing. He smirked, readying his yoyo.

Dividend watched the five tiny Vantacat run, but stood smugly in place, clearly not concerned.

The five touched the streetlight simultaneously, their Cataclysm spreading up and across the object. Their suits and eyes returned to their normal color from the energy spilling out.

Just before the streetlight fell apart, Dividend leaped up, wholly intent on easily jumping to the nearest building.

At the same time, Coccaerus threw his yoyo outwards. It wrapped around Dividend at his command, and they were tied up in an instant. Startled, they let out a yelp and fell to the ground, their hand charged with energy but not having as much free movement with it as they did before.

Coccaerus stepped forward, unafraid of being shot. Before he got even a few meters away, however, Dividend regained their composure and began to laugh.

"I wouldn't worry about me right now if I were you!" they taunted. "Do you think my power only splits the _person_ in fifths and nothing else?"

Coccaerus paused at that, an alarm bell going off in his head. Not just the _person?_ What did that mean? Vantacat's Cataclysm worked as normal - granted, it needed all five of them to be at full strength - but-

Coccaerus stiffened, realization striking.  
_  
Their timer._

A million thoughts running through his head at once, he jerked his head back, looking around for any people in the immediate vicinity. To his horror, there were indeed people off in the distance, out of the akuma's striking distance but still taking in the sights.

Some of them even had their phones out.

Coccaerus glanced down at the five Vantacat, who were all looking at him with the same terrified expression that he had on. Immediately, he reacted, reaching for the backpack on his shoulder and tossing it in their direction.

Without a word, they understood, all five of them rushing in to make it into the backpack before they de-transformed.

Coccaerus turned to Dividend, who was still tied up but also ready to fire if he got close. Initially, he hadn't been afraid to approach, even if he got shot, because he was wholly intent on fixing everything immediately afterward.

But now, he couldn't afford to waste the time, especially when he had priorities that ascended _far_ beyond purifying the akuma.

Turning away, Coccaerus ran towards the backpack, all five Vantacat safely inside. Just as he picked it up, he saw the flash of light, confirming that they'd de-transformed. Unflinching, he slipped the backpack on.

"C-coccaerus," five small voices called out to him. "The akuma..."

"I'm not leaving you," Coccaerus said firmly and without a hint of hesitation. "Hang on."

Abandoning the tied-up Dividend completely, Coccaerus leapt up to a building and dashed away, ignoring the warning beep of his earrings as he focused on getting out of public view.


	2. Five-Pack

Coccaerus stopped, looking around to ensure that there was absolutely _no one_ nearby, then dropped safely into an alley. His earrings gave another beep, but he ignored it again in favor of focusing on what mattered to him most.

"Are you okay?" he asked, keeping his head staring straight ahead. "The ride wasn't too rough, was it?"

"No," came the five voices. They weren't lying to him - he could tell by their tone - but songs could use multiple instruments to convey different feelings, and he heard each one.

"You didn't know it'd work like real lightning would," he said sympathetically. "I wasn't expecting it either. Your weapon just wasn't as ready to deal with it as mine."

When he got silence in response, he continued, "We'll just get recharged. We can go back and fight again."

"What?!" all five shouted in unison. There were hushed whispers among them before one spoke up, "But, Cae, I'm - _we're_ \- in pieces. We can't fight. You'd be better off by yourself."

Maybe he would, he supposed. Fights could be unpredictable, and in a hypothetical situation, maybe only one of them would be more efficient than having a duo involved. Even on that streetlight, only one of them could've fought against Dividend; two would've been a hassle to balance.

"I don't _want_ to fight without you," Coccaerus replied. "If you have to ride me until we get a chance to use your Cataclysm, then I'll be happy to let you do it. You're brave and smart, Vanta; I'm sure your size won't make a difference with how much help you can be."

Silence followed once again, but he felt like it was good type of silence this time; the kind of silence that Vantacat would give him before offering a surprised yet grateful smile that made him wonder what kind of lacking support she had in her civilian life that made her so happy over such a small thing.

As always, he tried not to think about it, but this time, he supposed it was about to become his business.

Getting down on his knees, he slowly took off the Lucky Charm backpack, careful not to jostle around the civilian Vantacat inside. Placing it gingerly on the ground, he mentally braced himself before explaining, "I can take you in my hood to my house. We might be able to get something for your kwami there."

"Ugh, _yes, finally!_" male voices echoed from the backpack. "We're _starving!_"

A cat kwami poked his head out, followed by another and another until there were five in total. Even though they'd split into five, they were still the same size as a standard kwami.

They all flew out, hovering nearby as they stared down at the backpack, likely expecting their holder to come out.

One of the Vantacat said worriedly, "Cae... our identities. You're okay with this?"

He nodded even though she couldn't see. "We'll work through it." He paused, debating if that would be convincing on his own, then added, "And... I've always wanted to know."

It wasn't an easy thing to admit, but he was an honest person. Vantacat had always been such a wonderful presence in his life, only matched by one other, and he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't involuntarily imagined what she was like under the mask from time to time.

She was amazing. That's all he was sure about. His senses didn't lie.

Extending his hand out to right outside the backpack's opening, he said patiently. "You can do it one at a time if it's easier. I'm about to de-transform soon though."

He could almost feel their internal struggle. It was either "reveal themselves voluntarily" or "wait a few seconds and the backpack would disappear along with his transformation."

Finally, he felt a pair of tiny hands grab his fingers. He couldn't resist a smile, anticipation filling his core as he gently pulled his hand back, helping Vantacat's civilian form up onto the top of the backpack.

The second her blue eyes came into view, his breath caught in his throat.

_Marinette._ Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the amazingly talented girl who he adored oh so much. She wasn't _competing_ for his affections with Vantacat; she _was_ Vantacat.

The rambling. The soft gaze. The eye for detail. Two melodies that he adored meshed together into one beautiful person.

His love compounded into one gorgeous _mess,_ and by the time one of the Marinette let out a soft, "Cae?", he realized how long he'd been blindly helping them get down on the ground while in a complete love-struck daze.

He chuckled, putting a hand to his mouth as he collected himself. "Sorry. Just... of _course_ it's you."

They all gaped at him, clearly wondering if they knew him in civilian form. He just smiled, closed his eyes, and let his earrings beep one last time as a light engulfed him and the nearby Lucky Charm. He felt his transformation fade away, Tikki flying off from him, and a collection of muffled gasps quickly followed.

Luka opened his eyes back up and looked down, taking in the wide eyes of the five Marinette in front of him, their hands clamped over their mouths.

Slowly, their hands lowered, and they all let out a soft, "_Of course it's you,_" looking unaware that they'd just echoed him.

One of them looked around at the others, then blushed and added, "I-I mean, who else could it have been...?"

Luka easily ignored the teasing-and-simultaneously-disgusted comments from the five Plagg. He just couldn't stop smiling, both because she was cute and because he was thrilled that the loves of his life were _the same person._ Not helping him mellow out was the fact that each Marinette had apparently chosen to wear their jacket differently, making them more easily distinguishable from each other.

One wore it normally, one had it tied around their waist, one had tied it around their neck like a makeshift cape, one had folded it and tied it around their forehead like a bandana, and the last one was simply holding the jacket in her arms, seeming intent on discarding it.

_Smart girls._ He'd expect nothing less.

Luka lowered his hand, casting a single gaze over to his hood. The five Marinette immediately got back into gear, climbing onto his hand one at a time while he individually lifted them to his shoulder so that they could promptly drop into his hood.

As the one carrying her jacket stepped on to be lifted, he offered his other hand, asking, "May I?"

She blinked up at him, then down at her jacket. "...O-oh! Thank you!"

She passed him her jacket, which looked adorably small in his hand. As he lifted her up, she dropped down into his hood as well, all five Marinette feeling like a comforting weight in there.

He stored the tiny jacket safely in his jacket pocket. Tikki, meanwhile, flew in front of Luka's face, looking uncertain. "Are you sure about this?"

Before Luka could answer, the five Plagg cut in with a, "You worry too much, sugarcube!"

Tikki made a face. "I can't believe there are five of them now," she said with a groan.

Luka grinned in amusement as all the kwami flew to him to hide in his jacket. Glancing over his shoulder, he asked quietly, "Are you alright in there, Marinette?"

"Mhm!" came an almost excited reply. One Marinette then commented, "Wow, I always wondered if your hoodie was soft, and it really is!"

Of course, the other four Marinette immediately chimed in, now needing to feel it themselves. He briefly felt rustling against his back.

Luka covered his mouth to stifle laughter, then walked towards the light leading out of the alleyway. He peeked out, ensuring that Dividend wasn't nearby, then stepped onto the sidewalk as casually as possible before cautiously heading in the direction of the Liberty.


	3. Baking with Lukanette

**A/N: I'm aware that kwami, in-show, can eat anything to replenish their energy. That seems too easy for me, so I'm adjusting the rules a bit to fit their tastes.**

* * *

Luka thanked his miraculous that he was able to get back to the Liberty without being seen by Dividend. De-transformed and having to hide five tiny Marinette in his hood, he definitely would've been in for a bad time had Dividend found him.

Not to mention the six hungry kwami he had on him as well.

After stepping onto the deck of the Liberty, Luka made his way inside and headed for the kitchen. He was sure that the five Marinette were still in his hood, given the small weight, though they didn't move often; when they did, he presumed it was for comfort's sake.

Walking to the fridge and opening it up, Luka bent down to look inside, his eyes searching all over for something sweet and something else that was...

"Your kwami likes cheese, right?" Luka asked slowly, a cautious edge to his voice.

He heard the Marinette breathe up to reply, only to be cut off by the five Plagg all escaping to shout, "Yeah, of course! It's only _the_ best food there is!"

One added with a sly look, "Why, what's the problem?"

Luka said nothing, continuing to stare into the fridge. The Plagg followed his gaze to the sad amount of cheese inside that would _maybe_ feed two of them, at best.

"_...Oh._" They groaned in unison, ears drooping.

Luka felt rustling against his back as two of the Marinette climbed up and laid down on separate shoulders of his, peering into the fridge along with him.

"Hm," one hummed. "Do you think you have any other ingredients lying around?"

Luka glanced at her. "Like what?"

He turned his head to the other Marinette as she seemed to catch on, chiming in, "If it's just about the taste that gives kwami energy, we could bake something that might make the cheese taste stronger even if it's spread out?"

Luka grinned at the cleverness of his partner, responding in a knowing tone, "Do we need a recipe for that?"

"Are you _kidding?_" all five Marinette replied. The one on his other shoulder teased back with a smirk, "We do this for Plagg all the time. It's usually with more cheese, but we can try it out."

He felt a pat against the back of his neck from a third Marinette, who added, "Besides, it's dangerous for you to go outside again with Dividend running around. We'll just have to make it work."

Luka chuckled in agreement, pulling the small amount of cheese out of the fridge and setting it on the counter. He then reached back inside, pulling out a plate with a slice of leftover cake and setting it a far distance away from the cheese, knowing Tikki full well.

"Cake is fine, right, Tikki?" Luka asked politely.

Tikki poked her head out, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the iced cake. Her mouth gave a wide, open smile, and she quickly flew over to start eating.

One of the Marinette eyed Tikki, then the already-made cake that was being eaten _right then_ as opposed to however much time the cheese would take to work with. "Luka-"

"I want to fight with you," Luka reminded her firmly. "Paris can wait. Dividend isn't destructive like most akumatized people are."

He sensed that they seemed to accept that. He closed the fridge, then walked over to the island in the center of the kitchen. He lifted both hands up to his shoulders, the Marinette on them climbing on so he could place them onto the island.

One by one, each Marinette was lowered to the island's countertop. As the last one got down from his hands, she thanked him with a smile before rushing off to join the other Marinette.

They then talked amongst themselves - herself? - and Luka couldn't help smiling. With his attuned hearing, he could make out most of the conversation they were having about what they could make, and it was endlessly amusing to hear them almost argue with each other about it.

Was _this_ what it was like for Marinette normally when she was debating with herself, only now he could actually see it happen?

Once the five Marinette had finished talking, they turned to Luka expectantly. They'd apparently decided on cheesy bread, and Luka was more than happy to get the ingredients for them. There were one or two ingredients missing, but they assured him that they could make substitutions.

He could feel their eyes on him the whole time he was grabbing ingredients, and it took all of his self-control not to giggle. They seemed to be in just as much pleasant shock as _he_ was after they'd revealed their identities to each other.

Simply put, it was a comforting thought.

Luka placed the last ingredient on the counter, watching the Marinette look over all of the ingredients one last time to ensure that everything was in place.

"Okay," one said, turning to him and pointing over to the counter beside the fridge. "The most important thing we need you to do is grate the-"

She trailed off as she looked to where she was pointing. Luka glanced over, seeing a very unamused Tikki eyeing the five Plagg, who were all gathered around the plate of cheese with large, hungry eyes.

Luka walked over, grabbing the plate and taking it away. The five Plagg reached up in vain, then flopped tiredly against and on top of each other in a hungry cat pile.

Luka could hear the amused snickers of the Marinette behind him. He didn't doubt that this was the first time Plagg had needed to restrain himself.

Grabbing the grater and a plate from one of the cupboards (which nearly caused everything to spill out; thanks, Anarka), Luka turned back and placed the grater on top of the plate. He began grating, giving a sly smile to the five Marinette as he noticed them blankly watching him.

They immediately blushed, turning away to focus on the ingredients. Luka watched them for a bit longer, then quickly remembered that the _last_ thing he needed was his fingers being grazed by the grater.

Thus, he focused on grating the cheese, only letting his eyes flick back to the Marinette when he knew he wasn't at risk of hurting himself.

They were all careful, carrying around measuring cups with both arms and discussing the ingredients with the other Marinette whenever it was appropriate. One Marinette in particular was hauling around an egg, getting steadily more frustrated at figuring out how much effort it would take to crack it without breaking it completely. She eventually gave up and just dropped the egg onto the counter, then glared as it cracked appropriately for her.

Seeing one of the Marinette climbing onto the mixer was definitely the sight that Luka lingered on the longest, her expression thoroughly puzzled as she looked around for the settings. Luka managed to _not_ giggle at it, but his smile was wide.

He pretended not to notice when any of the Marinette glanced in _his_ direction and made eye contact. Every time, they blushed and went right back to work.

After a few minutes, his grating was finished. He tapped the grater against the plate, ensuring that all the cheese had come off, then set it aside.

He knew he could've called out to any of the Marinette to let them know he was finished, but he was content just watching and waiting for them. He leaned against the counter, just watching his tiny multiplied partner run around and count off ingredients one by one.

It didn't take long before one of the Marinette looked over at him, then eyed at the shredded cheese on the plate. She hesitated, observing the other Marinette briefly to see that they were all occupied, then walked over.

She bent down, grabbing at the plate with both hands, but stopped as she peeked up at him. Considering the pink blush that appeared on her face, he imagined he must've been giving her a fond look.

It wouldn't have surprised him, honestly.

She stood, shyly tapping her fingers together. "W-what?"

Luka smiled, figuring he'd take the opportunity while he could. He leaned down, raising a hand towards her slowly as to not startle her.

She straightened, but didn't recoil from him, so he continued onwards.

As his hand reached her, he gently used the back of his index finger to caress her cheek. "I just feel lucky," he admitted softly. "There were two songs I already adored and I never knew that they could be even _more_ amazing together."

The Marinette, in response, let out a mixture of a gasp and squeak, the pink blush turning red _fast._

She glanced at him, looking in disbelief that he was doing this, but how could he not? Even when she was so small, she still radiated that familiar warmth he cherished so much, and her song was just as loud as ever.

After a moment, the Marinette swallowed shyly, then raised her hands and placed them on his finger, stopping him from caressing her further.

"T-thank you," she uttered in a tiny voice. "B-but... I think your _other partners_ might be getting jealous."

Luka blinked, then glanced up to see all the rest of the Marinette staring at them, looking horrified.

"_M-marinette!_" they all cried out, mixed between flailing frantically and keeping their ingredients from going everywhere. They then let out mixes of, "How could you?!", "Marinette! I-I mean, me? _Marime?_" "Don't just _say_ that, and especially not _out loud!_", "Luka, don't listen to her-me-_whoever!_ In fact, don't listen to anyone ever again!"

Luka heard every word, just barely managing to keep on his calm trademark smile. The emotional high of his partner's identity was just piling onto being surrounded by his favorite song.

He could hardly contain himself, so he didn't.

"They don't have to be," he pointed out over the flustered shouting, giving the four Marinette a soft gaze. "I'd be happy to give _all of you_ attention if that's what you want."

Immediately, the room went quiet. All five Marinette blinked, then stared up at him with wide blue eyes. The four that were away from him glanced at each other, then abandoned what they were working on to approach him.

"R-really?" all five asked, sounding unsure yet _undeniably_ hopeful.

Luka leaned down further to be closer to their level, even nodding at them. "Mhm~"

They gaped, just _staring_ at him for a moment. They looked at each other, all collectively blushing, then met his gaze once more.

He felt so much warmth for them, and he was sure it showed on his face.

Only a few seconds later, all five Marinette immediately turned and went charging back to their stations, nearly crashing into each other in the process. The fifth Marinette who'd gone to pick up the cheese quickly grabbed the plate with both hands and speed-walked backward to get it to its destination.

Each Marinette picked up where they left off, but with a new, clear goal in mind.

Behind him, Luka could hear the five Plagg protest, "HEY! Don't rush perfection!"


	4. The More the Mari-er

Luka had never been more excited to get something in the oven. Marinette wasn't in the position (nor the size) to do so, and he was happy to take on the task.

With a smile, he turned back to the five Marinette on the island, all of whom were looking back up at him with hopeful smiles. The five Plagg probably would've been disgusted, but they were too busy sulking next to the oven, staring at the timer like it was something that deserved to be destroyed.

Luka imagined that Tikki was still concerned about the identity reveal, but for now, she just smiled at him. He pretended not to notice her face covered in frosting, certain that she would get it eventually.

With his full attention on the five Marinette, he lowered a hand to them, offering the usual one-by-one ride.

The Marinette closest to him stepped forward to get on, stopped, then placed a hand to her face in thought.

Luka blinked. She looked up at him, then gave him a small smile and asked, "Can I try something?"

He nodded, despite not particularly knowing what she was up to.

The Marinette smiled, then ran forward, only stepping onto his hand briefly to get to his arm. Luka gasped softly, feeling tiny hands and a tiny pair of flats against his skin as she climbed up his arm.

In no time at all, she was on the opposite shoulder to the one attached to the arm she climbed. Luka glanced over as best as he could, noting that she looked proud and perhaps a little smug.

He only had enough time to look back down at the other four Marinette before they all charged and climbed his arm as well. Luka laughed at the sensation, waiting for all the Marinette to be securely on him before he began to walk.

He briefly saw Tikki wave, the frosting now off her face, before he'd slipped into his room and lost sight of her.

He approached his bed, letting his hand rest on the blanket to allow each Marinette to climb down. The sensation wasn't as strong since they were getting down this time, with two of them just preferring to hop right onto the bed itself.

Luka eyed the four, who seemed comfortable on-

...four?

He blinked, slowly glancing at each shoulder to confirm that there weren't anymore Marinette on them.

He glanced back at the four. "Where's...?"

They blinked at him, then looked at each other, quickly realizing the problem. Glancing back at him, they all opened their mouth to reply, but stopped as their gaze drifted upwards.

They suddenly seemed _very_ jealous.

Luka didn't understand at first, then began to hear a low rumbling sound coming from the top of his head, not unlike a purr.

_Exactly_ like a purr, actually.

It took Luka an extra second to realize that the fifth Marinette was _purring_ atop his head. He blushed at the mental image that he conjured up.

"M-marinette?"

The purring came to a stop. He could feel her shifting now.

"...O-oh my gosh!" the Marinette stammered. "I'm _so_ sorry! It was just-there was hardly room on your shoulders and I thought-but then it was so soft up here so I-_EEP!_"

He felt her slip and immediately brought his hands up. She tumbled forward in mid-air, landing on her back as she hit his hands. She then sat up, turning and brushing her hair aside so she could glance at him.

He grinned. "It's alright, Marinette, I didn't even notice you up there until a few seconds ago, and I didn't mind it once I did."

She blushed deeper, then let out a shy, flustered laugh, probably to get out her embarrassment.

She was too cute, really.

He set her down, letting her join the other Marinette. They all muttered things at her, but as soon as Luka moved to pass them, they looked over and watched him.

It was a funny feeling, always being the thing that caught their attention, but it wasn't in a bad way. _Certainly_ not in a bad way.

As Coccaerus, he'd grown used to the feeling of taking center stage alongside Vantacat. They were praised, beloved, and he couldn't go _anywhere_ as his hero self without someone glancing his way. He didn't particularly mind it, but he also wasn't a center stage type of person. That was more Jagged Stone's style: always being at the forefront and soaking in every ounce of attention like the warmth of a spotlight.

For a long while, Luka only _vaguely_ understood the appeal. He got the _idea_ of enjoying the screaming crowd and adoring fans, but whenever he played alongside the rest of Kitty Section, he was often focused more on the music being played at his fingertips rather than who was watching him at the time.

Unless it was _Marinette_ who was watching. _That_ was the difference. _That_ was when Luka felt the rush of being center stage. _That_ was when he felt the urge to scan the crowd, hoping that his eyes would meet hers.

They always did. Without fail, she'd be watching him, and with _five_ Marinette in front of him, it was like his own little audience.

When it was _her_ watching him, it not only made him feel like he _was_ center stage, but it made him _enjoy_ being center stage.

Smiling to himself, he sat down on his bed, careful not to knock any of the Marinette off-balance with his weight on the mattress. He swung his feet up, then laid down, gesturing his right hand to the five Marinette to encourage them to come as they pleased.

They _all_ approached, one Marinette apparently taking the hand gesture as a sign to touch his fingers.

He didn't complain, amusement on his face as he silently watched her. The Marinette's eyes drifted along his hand and down to his wrist, then widened.

"Oh! Your leather band!"

She ran over, kneeling down and taking the strap part of the band in her hands. "Wow, I always wondered if this part was real or just part of the design!" she exclaimed, even pushing his bracelets back slightly to get a better look at the band.

Another Marinette perked up at that. She dashed to his side, then climbed onto his stomach to get over him.

Luka forced himself not to laugh at the feeling, but still snorted anyway.

She dropped down to his other side, going to his left hand and sitting down to eye his ring. "I _adore_ the scales on your ring, Luka!"

Okay, never mind, he was laughing. He should've expected this of her, really.

The remaining three Marinette climbed up to his chest, with one of them hopping down and leaving his sight as she went towards his pillow. One of the two still on him went over to one of his pockets, grabbing the flap but immediately looking disappointed. Luka could easily read that she'd wondered if she could fit and was sad that she couldn't, though she settled for feeling along the flap itself.

The other Marinette was content to simply lounge on his chest, her limbs sprawled out over the Jagged Stone symbol on his shirt. She looked _incredibly_ relaxed, but her slightly off-center position made it seem like she'd had something else she'd plan to do but didn't want to leave yet.

Luka admired her a bit, then felt the hair to the left side of his face being played with. He turned his head, earning a squeak in response from the Marinette sitting on his pillow, her hand recoiling in shock.

So _that's_ where she'd gone.

"Ah-" She avoided eye contact with him, toying with the collar of her shirt. "I was just-when the other Marinette was on your head, it... it made me wonder, so..."

He chuckled, the sound getting her to look back up again. "You don't have to apologize, Marinette." Eyes half-lidded, he gave her a smirk and teased, "So, was it really that soft?"

Her face turned bright red in an impressively short amount of time. She gaped at him, a slew of attempted syllables coming out, but it wasn't anything even _he_ could decipher. Before he could speak again, she suddenly winced, clutching her chest and tilting over. She tumbled off the pillow, flopping face-first onto the blanket and simply laying there as if she were dead.

Luka felt something shift on his chest and glanced over to see the two Marinette who'd been relaxing there now rushing over to the fallen Marinette.

"Marinette down! _Marinette down!_" they cried out in horror. One of them knelt down to the collapsed Marinette, gently holding her and fanning her with a hand.

The other, meanwhile, watched for a moment before pointing an accusing finger in Luka's direction. "_Luka!_ Watch where you aim that thing!"

He blinked. "What thing?" He grinned, incredibly amused and honestly looking for any reason to get that Marinette to look at him. "_This?_"

She started to turn, only catching a brief glimpse at him before immediately turning back. "Yes, _that!_ That _smile!_"

He snickered. "I'm sorry," he said unapologetically. "I can't help it, Marinette. You make smiling too easy for me."

The fallen Marinette jerked up just to blush alongside the two nearby. Collectively, they all covered their faces at the compliment, even letting out a flustered whine.

"Luka, that's not _fair!_" one protested. "Especially when we can't do the same thing to you!"

He shrugged. "That's alright. I know you're not as honest as I am with compliments."

The three remained still, faces covered, but suddenly perked as if they'd all had a joint realization. They turned to him, asking simultaneously, "Wait, so what if we _were?_"

Luka went to reply, but stopped himself, the smile quickly disappearing from his face. Just as he realized that his expression was giving him away, it was too late.

All three Marinette grinned at him, and he could sense that the other two were doing the same.

"Ah-wait-" He shifted slightly to push himself up, but the three Marinette rushed at him, all scrambling to get onto his chest. Their weight didn't force him down exactly, but he laid back involuntarily at the thought of them losing their balance if he dared to sit straight.

"Luka," one of the Marinette piped up, hopeful anticipation on her face, "you're so _cool!_"

Luka tried not to blush. He failed, and he _knew_ he failed from the way every single Marinette's eyes lit up. He wanted to bring a hand up to cover his face, but the two Marinette near his hands had climbed onto his wrists, grinning cheekily with him and knowing full well that he wasn't going to move if he knew that they'd be knocked off, even if it wouldn't hurt them.

It was at that moment that Luka knew he was in trouble.

"Luka, you're _amazing!_" another Marinette chimed in.

"You're so _talented,_ Luka!" a third Marinette cheered.

"Luka, you're _really_ handsome!"

One Marinette even dared to be so bold as to say, "I'm so glad you're my partner, Luka! You're the _best ladybug holder_ I could've ever asked for!"

The other compliments had already gotten to him. He was already a shade of red he was fairly sure wasn't physically possible for a normal human - he blamed the miraculous for it, personally - but hearing those words come out of _Marinette's_ mouth sent him _spiraling._

Such a casual reminder that his partner and best friend were one and the same. The loves of his life were the same person and she appreciated and cared about him just as much as _he_ cared about _her._

_"my partner"_

The three Marinette crawled further up his chest, clearly wanting a closer look at him, but Luka could only take so much. They were so _small_ and _cute_ and were looking at his _big dumb flustered face_ with such _wide grins_ that he felt like a set of drums that had fallen to pieces and rolled away.

He was _gone._ Complete, _totally_ gone, and all he could do was turn his face away as they kept going.

"Luka, don't tell Jagged, but you're the _best_ guitarist there is!"

"It's no wonder why Fu chose you, Luka! You're smart and handle every Lucky Charm like you already knew what it'd be!"

"Luka, how come you don't have fangirls like Adrien does? You're better than him by a _mile!_"

"I'm so happy whenever I'm with you, Luka! You're the greatest!"

"_Luka, I love you!_"

Luka's eyes widened as the room suddenly went silent. The unrelenting tempo of the compliments ceased to exist as Luka slowly turned his head back to face the five Marinette. He knew he hadn't heard wrong once he saw the reactions of the five Marinette, and he knew which one had said it since she was holding her hands over her mouth, face completely red and eyes wide as the remaining four stared at her in shock.

After a moment of pause, the two Marinette on his wrists got off to join the other three. The Marinette who'd blurted out _those three words_ then proceeded to get bombarded by an onslaught of whisper-shouting from the other four.

"_What are you doing, saying something like that!?_"

"_Quick, make something up!_"

"_Tell him you didn't mean it, or that you meant it in a friendly way!_"

"_Say you didn't finish and you had to stop because of a cough, but he just didn't hear it because you covered your mouth!_"

One of the four turned to Luka, giving him a nervous gaze. She cleared her throat, then calmly placed her hand on the singled-out Marinette, whose face was still bright red. "Ah, Luka-sorry, it must be something that Dividend's powers-"

Luka pressed his palm against the mattress, shifting to get up. The five Marinette were shocked, but reacted quickly, hurrying off of his chest as if they were afraid of him. By the time he'd sat up fully, they'd already run to the farthest corner of the bed, all of them huddled together as they stared at him.

Luka paused, then leaned forward, laying down on his side as he faced the five. They watched at him nervously, then looked around at each other.

The Marinette who'd blurted out the confession hesitated, then shyly stepped forward, hands clasped together in front of her waist. She appeared as if she expected to be interrogated.

Luka was about to do no such thing.

Instead, he reached forward, using his index finger to tilt her chin up and encourage her to look at him. Her eyes were looking elsewhere at first, but eventually met his gaze while she bit her lower lip.

Luka tried to say something smooth as he usually did, but he was still struck by what he'd heard. His mouth hung open for a few seconds before finally letting out an entirely _not smooth_, "Can...can you say that again?"

Her eyes went wide. "W-what?"

He rolled with it, repeating, "Can you say that again?"

She looked at him, baffled. He could see her nerves with how she fidgeted.

Feeling a little daring, he added, "That was my favorite out of everything you said."

Now _all_ of the Marinette were looking at him with wide eyes. Luka was pretty sure that he must've looked like an idiot, staring at them with such a love-struck gaze, but he hoped it might be to his advantage this time.

The Marinette in front of him blinked, still processing what he'd said, then looked down at the bed, her blush obvious.

Despite her voice being full-on shy, he saw the hint of a teasing smile on her face.

"I-I think you heard me loud and clear then."

Okay, now Luka was _absolutely sure_ that he looked like an idiot, breaking out into a wide smile and just barely resisting the urge to pick up every darn Marinette off his bed and attempt to hug them.

He eased himself back, just enough so that he could look at all five Marinette as equally as possible.

With a loving grin, he confirmed, "I love you too, Marinette."

They gaped at him, then at each other, then back to him. They seemed to wonder if he'd meant it, but also while already having the knowledge that he wouldn't lie about such a thing.

Luka was fine with waiting, his forearms resting on the bed as he laid his head on top, just admiring the five as they stared back at him.

Finally, the four Marinette behind the _one_ Marinette straightened, then charged forward, apparently needing to get in on the action as well.

"I love you, Luka!"

"Luka, I love you!"

"I've loved you for so long, Luka!"

"Luka, I love you a lot!"

Luka's blush had returned full-force, each Marinette looking so eager to profess her love to him. The Marinette who'd originally been singled out had a huge smile on her face, which the other Marinette quickly shared.

Standing side-by-side, the Marinette all shared a knowing look with each other. Grinning back at Luka excitedly, they all shouted in harmony,

"_I love you so much, Luka!_"

Luka heaved forward, then sat up straight. Slapping a hand over his mouth, he couldn't stop himself from letting out a series of loud, happy laughs.

Marinette was already _too much,_ but divided into five adorable tiny versions of herself, all smiling up at him at his reaction, he felt positively _spoiled._

It took roughly a minute for him to calm down and stop wordlessly appreciating the five Marinette, and much _less_ than a minute for him to gather them up and allow them all to relax on his chest while he laid back down on his bed.

None of them could get the cheerful looks off their faces, and Luka was pretty sure that they tried about as hard as he did; that is to say, not at all. They glanced up at him occasionally, but couldn't look for long without squirming in delight.

"W-we'll kiss you later," they murmured in unison, "after Dividend is taken care of."

Luka chuckled despite his blush. "I'm looking forward to it. We still have a while until that bread'll be done though."

They didn't complain, happily snuggling against him.

It took less than a minute for the harmonious purrs to start as well, with Luka's grin immediately following.


	5. Stick it to Them

Dividend snorted in amusement the instant they saw them. Coccaerus wasn't at all phased, knowing full well how he looked, standing there with one tiny Vantacat on his head and two on each shoulder.

"You were gone for, what, half an hour?" Dividend scoffed. "I was expecting something more when you came back."

He didn't glorify that with a response, simply smiling as he grabbed his yoyo and spun it, feeling wholly prepared.

He could feel the anticipation of the Vantacat on him. They wanted this over with just as much as he did, though he'd miss having five times the usual Marinette just a little.

Dividend raised a brow, eyeing Coccaerus' readied yoyo and giving him a skeptical look. They probably weren't expecting him to seriously be willing to fight like this.

But Coccaerus _absolutely_ was, and given that Dividend wasn't making any moves, he saw the opportunity. He charged forward, each Vantacat hanging on without issue.

Dividend's eyes went wide at the approach. Immediately, they tried to make distance, opening their binder and crushing a piece of paper inside.

Coccaerus blocked the shot of lightning that followed, promptly going in to grab the binder.

Dividend resisted by stepping quickly to the side, hugging the binder against them with one hand and reaching out with the other.

Coccarus noted the hand going for one of the Vantacat on his shoulder. He ducked, moving his arm swiftly to grab hold of Dividend's wrist. They flinched in response, likely from how tight his grip was.

Dividend struggled, trying to get their wrist free, but Coccaerus held on tight. He could see the shift in Dividend's eyes, glancing at the top of his head and likely considering using the binder to hurt him. After all, his other hand was occupied by twirling his yoyo.

However, there were Vantacat there, and any attempt to bring the binder down anywhere near them would've been a mistake since it'd be easy to Cataclysm.

Throwing his yoyo up in the air, Coccaerus shouted a quick, "Lucky Charm!" before grabbing Dividend's wrist with both hands and throwing them as far as he could on short notice.

As he put his yoyo back to his waist, he'd expected the Lucky Charm to have already fallen to the ground, but instead, it fluttered down to his level. Coccaerus held out his hand, the sticker sheet landing gently onto it.

The Vantacat all let out a collective, "_Huh,_" unintentionally voicing his current thought. Coccaerus, meanwhile, glanced back and forth between the sheet and Dividend, the latter of whom was getting back up.

"Stickers?" Dividend asked with a scoff, reminding Coccaerus of when they'd insulted the five Vantacat on him. "What do you expect to do with _those?_"

They underestimated them _far_ too much, Coccaerus thought idly. He glanced at the binder, then grinned, getting an idea. "Actually, this is _just_ what I needed."

Dividend's confidence faltered into confusion for a moment.

Coccaerus peeled off a single sticker, then held out the sheet to one of the Vantacat on his shoulder. "Can you hold this for me?"

She got a sparkle in her eyes, then nodded and took the sheet in her tiny hands. The Vantacat next to her idly began to tamper with it.

Coccaerus looked back just in time to dodge another bolt of lightning. He ran forward, Dividened bracing themself as he reached the hand with the sticker forward.

Dividend dodged, using their other hand to grab Coccaerus' opposite wrist, leaving no hand available for him to grab the book. Their eyes widened as Coccaerus seemed unbothered by the motion, continuing to try and stick Dividened with the sticker in his hand.

"S-stop it!" Dividend hissed, jerking their head left and right to dodge the sticker. "Let me _go!_"

They seemed more annoyed than anything else, though their eyes were completely locked on the sticker that Coccaerus kept flailing around.

Dividend squirmed, struggling for a good few seconds before releasing Coccaerus' wrist in order to shove him back. Coccaerus staggered a few meters away, dropping the sticker in the process, but had managed to grab the sticker sheet back when he'd been pushed.

He pretended to be preoccupied with the stickers, but continued watching Dividend out of the corner of his vision.

Dividend was glaring at him, clearly irritated, but ignored him briefly to turn their attention to the binder. They'd been halfway to retrieving a page when they suddenly froze in place.

There, on their binder, was all five Vantacat, each having a smug expression on their faces.

Dividend glanced back up at Coccaerus, still in shock. Coccaerus simply turned the sheet towards them, having finished rearranging the stickers that one of the Vantacat had been moving around to spell out a word:

_Gotcha._

"Cataclysm!"

The five Vantacat slammed their hands down on the binder, quick to jump to the ground as the object fell and promptly disintegrated. Dividend clutched their head and collapsed to their knees, powerless as the akuma flew out of their now-unrecognizable binder.

Coccaerus pulled out his yoyo, tracing his finger along one end to the other. The yoyo opened, Coccaerus giving it a dramatic twirl before throwing it forward to snatch up to the akuma and seal it inside.

Holding the yoyo gently in his palm, he tapped the surface, letting it open back up to free the now-purified butterfly. He watched it fly off into the sky, then looked ahead of him and blinked.

One of the Vantacat had extended her baton to almost match his height, perching on top of it with a silly smile on her face.

As much as he wanted to tease her or just generally be playful, he didn't want to mess with her shortened timer. Crumpling the sticker sheet in his hand to lessen its wind resistance, he swung his arm back before throwing it to the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The crumpled sticker sheet flashed white, then exploded into the mass of magical ladybugs he knew so well. Since Dividend hadn't caused much actual damage, he imagined that the magic was mostly setting out to fix people that had been divided while Dividend themself was de-akumatized.

Coccaerus eyed the one Vantacat in front of him, watching as the magical energy surrounded her and the other four Vantacat nearby. The moment it left, there was a single, normal-sized Vantacat standing in its place, looking down at herself with a smile.

He grinned, and she shared his grin when she met his gaze. She jumped at him happily and wrapped her arms around him, giving him barely any time to brace himself. Still, he laughed, hugging her back and doing a small twirl for effect.

Even when he stopped, she remained close to him, also leaning in to whisper, "As much as I'd like to keep my promise, it might be best to get away from everyone else first."

He looked around, not surprised to see that people hadn't learned their lesson from before. Their phones were still out and their eyes were still curious.

Coccaerus rolled his eyes, but smiled, gently taking Vantacat's hand as they leaped up towards a building to start heading towards Marinette's - well, _Vantacat's_ \- house.


	6. Getting a Room

The light of de-transformation engulfed the happy couple as they both fell onto Marinette's bed. Luka, while usually one to allow people their personal space, honestly couldn't keep his hands off of Marinette, especially not when she laughed in delight at him pulling her against him.

Tikki and Plagg split off from them; Tikki to give them privacy and Plagg because their mushiness grossed him out. He phased through the floor to search for the love of _his own_ life, whereas Tikki followed to ensure that he wouldn't eat anything that'd be missed.

Luka shifted alongside Marinette so they were laying properly on her bed. She snuggled against him and he eagerly hugged her in return, enjoying the warmth she gave off.

"Mm, you were great," she murmured into his chest. "You figured out that Lucky Charm in no time."

He smiled, placing his hand on her head to pet her. "And _you_ got what I was doing right away. I bet it wasn't easy climbing onto that binder five times."

As he ran his hand back and forth along her head, she let out a low purr. She blushed, but reached up and slid her fingers into his hair, almost in retaliation.

Luka smiled softly and closed his eyes, loving the soft scritching noise of her fingertips against his hair combined with the sound of her purring.

He knew they'd have to talk to Master Fu about them knowing each other's identities, but on the list of things that concerned Luka most, it was _extremely_ low. Honestly, maybe it didn't even make it _on_ the list.

After all, it too late to do anything about it, and his _first_ concern was just making sure that his girlfriend felt nice after their akuma fight.

"...Dividend was wrong," Marinette stated in a daze, slightly distracted by his movements.

Luka opened his eyes to look at her, briefly stopping his petting. "Because they underestimated you?" He chuckled. "I already knew that, Marinette."

"_No,_" she said, blushing and clearly trying very hard to pout at him.

He couldn't stop grinning.

Marinette shifted to get her face closer to his. "Dividend wanted to make me feel what it was like to be torn apart between tasks: overwhelmed and helpless, like I couldn't do anything."

He briefly forgot how to breathe as her hands slid down from his hair to rest on his cheeks. The fond look she was giving him wasn't helping.

She continued, "But I had _you,_ so of _course_ it didn't work. I already knew what that panic was like, but I've never feel like that when I'm with you." She smiled softly, stroking along his face with a thumb. "Because you're my _partner,_ Luka, and I feel stronger than ever around you. If anything, I'm glad it happened. I already loved both sides of you and it almost doesn't feel real that you're the same person."

Luka was blushing again, and he was sure that she could feel the increasing warmth against her palms given how her smile widened. He brought his hands up, placing them over hers as he met her gaze.

"It feels real to me by now," he said, running his hands across her wrist and down her forearms. "I should've known that there couldn't be _two_ melodies in Paris that were that beautiful."

He noted the raise of her brows and the blush on her face. After complimenting _him_ like that, he honestly didn't know what else she expected.

She opened her mouth, paused, then closed it. He could practically _see_ her internal thought process, mixed between denying such a compliment and just _owning it._

Finally, she leaned in, burying her face into his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him. "T-technically, there still are."

"Mm?"

She raised one of her hands, sliding a hand along his neck until it found his face. She was a little off-center since she couldn't see, but she successfully tapped his nose with her index finger.

"You didn't count yours."

He immediately went back to blushing, thinking to himself that she could be so darn _smooth_ when she wanted to be.

_He loved her so much._

"S-so-" He cleared his throat, realizing that it was higher than usual from how flustered she'd just made him. He could hear her giggling just before he continued playfully, "So you can hear my song now, Marinette?"

"I don't have to," she whispered. "I can tell..."

She took a breath, then pushed herself up so she was sitting on his stomach and staring down at him. She trailed a hand along his chest, stopping it at his heart. "from here..."

He smiled, placing his hand on top of hers. She smiled back, then took his hand with _both_ of hers, pulling it against her chest so he could feel her heartbeat too. "and here..."

She dropped his hand, performing a dramatic gesture that went to him, her, and then generally both of them. "and _aaaaall_ of this."

He didn't have a comeback this time. He could only stare at her, softly and lovingly, admiring the wonderful girl in front of him that he felt like he'd known for years.

She grew shy at the look he was giving her, then giggled and averted her gaze from him. "I'm going to miss being able to do a five-part compliment harmony for you," she admitted. "I don't know how I'll keep up now."

He chuckled, amused. "I'll miss it a little, but..." He raised his hands towards her, purposefully stopping halfway.

At his gesture, she closed her eyes and bent down so her face slid right between his hands. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, letting out a soft hum of content as if _he'd_ been the one getting caressed.

"There are benefits to going solo anyway," he reminded her, his voice gentle but encouraging.

She opened her eyes halfway, a certain sparkle there that made him sure that she knew what he meant.

She _always_ knew.

He didn't pull her to his level, but kept his hands on her face as she leaned down. Her palms found their way to his neck, her thumbs along the back of his cheeks while her fingers explored his hair.

They touched foreheads, took a deep breath, then tilted their heads just slightly.

The only sounds Luka could hear were the pounding heartbeat in his ears, the soft click of a kiss, and the beautiful song of someone that he was proud to have as his girlfriend.


End file.
